The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart Blog Tour

 I am a huge fan of fantasy novels, even more so when they come recommended by one of my favourite authors (Sarah J. Maas).

The Bone Shard Daughter is an epic debut from author Andrea Stewart. The first in what I hope will be a truly great series, we become surrounded by an empire controlled by bone shard magic.

The emperor's reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands.

Lin is the emperor's daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.

Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright - and save her people.

My first thoughts after seeing who recommended this book were that I knew I would find myself addicted to whatever was within the pages and I wasn't wrong. And by the end I was sure that this would be my favourite fantasy of 2020.

This is the first part in The Drowning Empire trilogy.

There isn't just one POV in this tale instead there are five and each one as detailed as the other. I found this enhanced the story beautifully, adding depth and energy to each chapter.

Taking place across several islands throughout the empire we are gradually introduced to Lin - the Emperor's daughter and Jovis - a smuggler, these I'd describe as the main characters. And then there are the supporting characters, Phalue and Ranami - who's relationship I'm hoping to see more of in the rest of the series and Sand.

Magic, memory and most importantly power play huge parts in this tale. 

An empire ruled by bone magic. Every citizen is required to part with a shard of their bone that is used by the emperor, ready for using to power constructs that act to protect the islands of the empire and the those who live there. All of this in a bid to stop the return of the Alanga; an ancient civilization that ruled these islands hundreds of years ago through terrifying powers.

We have an Emperor drunk on (bad) power, the magic used from the bone shards, slowly draining the life of his citizens whilst this man brings many animal like constructs to life. He is out of control and his logic seems to have deserted him.

Then there's Lin, who seems to have lost her memories, now desperately trying to piece together her past whilst conjuring up a plan that will see her father (the Emperor) overthrown because if not her then who will.

I wished I did remember. Was there a time when this man stroked my hair and kissed my forehead? Had he loved me before I’d forgotten, when I’d been whole and unbroken?

Jovis is a my favourite character. A hard outer shell but ultimately a concerned and caring person that will always help others, trying to smuggle children to safety . His relationship that forms with the strange sea creature Mephi really made me smile. It just seemed so natural in a world of supernatural goings on.

The subject of poverty and wealth was cleverly weaved into the novel through the coupling of Phalue and Ranami, the daughter of a governor and a rebel. What was refereshing was that actually it wasn't the romance that was the centre of their story, it wasn't all about love instead everything else that comes with it. 

And lastly we have Sand. Who is sand? Trapped on the island of lost memories, we get glimpses into more mystery, something left unsolved running through the background of the tale.

The worldbuilding in this novel is phenomenal.

The construct looked nothing so much as a giant spider, dark brown and glistening, as tall as my chest when it stood to attention. Human hands were attached to the end of each of its spindly legs, and an old woman’s adorned the abdomen.

Development is well paced, tension builds slowly and there are twists and turns that already have me eager to read book two.

Promising.

The Bone Shard Daughter is imaginative and immersive, fantasy at its best.

From the stunning front cover to each and every word written, this is a novel that is diverse and meaningful, delivering magic with every chapter. 

If you'd like to hear more about this book then please do follow the rest of the blog tour below: